El Chalten, Patagonia, Argentina

After a bad nights sleep as the girl in the bunk above me was scratching and tossing and turning all night, driving me crazy!!!  The alarm woke me at 6.30am to get the bus to El Chalten, which is just 3 hours away. I grabbed some breakfast, met up with some other people leaving, agreed to share a taxi as it was still raining, and grabbed my bags and waited for it to turn up.  A few minutes later we were at the bus station and boarding the bus on our way to beautiful El Chalten!!

It was still raining when we arrived.  The bus stopped at the National Park Headquarters so we could find out about the area and hikes and grab a map of the various trails!  We then carried on to the bus terminal and walked to our hostel which was just a few minutes away and has great views of the mountains around, even from my bedroom window.  The town was only established in the 1980's and is still very small, so nowhere is a great distance. Apparently the weather is going to improve tomorrow, so I am just going for a wander around the town to grab some lunch and just chill out, as I am still aching from the riding yesterday, and saving my energy for the big hike tomorrow!  We have been advised the next 2 days are going to be great weather!!!

Mathias, a german guy, who I met in my hostel in El Calafate, is also staying here in Aylen Aike hostel and has offered to let me join him and his Swedish friend Camilla in their trek to the Laguna Torre.  We meet up at 9am and start our walk to the trail.  At first Camilla was a bit frosty, but she soon warmed up and we got chatting about all sorts.  She is only 23 and is travelling alone for about 9 months, very brave!!!  She has been to Antartica, which is where she met Mathias, and also to the Amazon and has many stories to tell, like how they jumped off the boat in the Antarctic into the water, no way would I have done that!!!  She has the most awesome pictures of penguins and killer whales, the trip looks amazing, but will set you back about 6k, they got it for about 3k as they just booked last minute from out here.

Laguna Torre is a lake 11km away and has excellent views of the Cerro Torre mountain Range, and the Glacier Grande.  It was a beautiful day today, warm and sunny, perfect weather for trekking, we were so lucky!  We were prepared though for colder weather as we got nearer to the mountains.  We started our walk and were greeted with beautiful scenery all around.  Snow capped mountains bright white against the blue skies and the autumnal colours of the foliage merging in with oranges, reds and greens.  Turqoise rivers running along pebbled valleys with the clearest of waters which you could fill your water bottles from and try the fresh taste of pure mountain water!

We finally reached the lake and the scenery was magnificent.  Blue/grey waters with the Cerro torre mountain dripping into it from a glacier on the banks of the water!  It was much cooler here, the climate is totally changeable from one minute to the next and you have to be prepared for all conditions.  I started the walk in sunny warm conditions and now it was cold and windy from the mountains and lake.  The water was freezing with icebergs floating around.  We stayed and had lunch and admired the views before carrying on with our journey as we were not even halfway around and had much more to see, although this was definitely the highlight!

We passed more viewpoints and lakes and rivers and mountains…..it was endless, and walking through the forest near the end of the trek we were lucky enough to spot a woodpecker!!  2 in fact, a male and female together.  One has a red head and the other just a splash of red near the beak.  It was quite large and so funny pecking away at the tree.  We had left at 9am and it was now about 7pm, so we were all exhausted when we got back and went straight to Melissa's hostel for some food and then off to bed as we had another full day tomorrow!  I think we covered over 20km today for sure!!!

The morning arrived very quickly and we were up and ready and in the taxi by 8.30am.  We were being dropped at the start of the trek to see Mount Fitzroy, which was a 10 minute drive away. This means we didn't have to start and finish at the same point as we could have done a different route from town, but this had better scenery and views of the glacier.

It was lunchtime by the time we reached the tough climb up to the Fitzroy viewpoint.  It was an hour climb up a steep mountain and we took a short rest and had some food before we ascended.  My biggest fear was the height as I have vertigo, and walking on the edge of the mountain in the winds that seemed to be picking up, for me was pretty scary.  I focussed on the path ahead and tried not to think about it.  I was not quitting this time!!!

The climb itself was actually not that bad, maybe I am just getting fitter, but eventually we made it to the top to be rewarded with one of the best views I have seen in my life!!  It was stunning!!!  Azure skies, meets snow white mountains, meets turquoise waters, meets waterfallls and peace and tranquility all around while the sun shone down and warmed us against the now cold breeze!  It was surreal!  We just sat and gazed at the view before us, trying to take it all in and absorb as much as we could so we would never forget this scene before us now!  We sat and ate the rest of our lunch and enjoyed the moment, thinking how lucky we are to be here!  The pictures do not do it justice and I can't find the words to describe it, the scale of it is so big and vast and it is just so incredibly beautiful!!!

Today was my last day in El Chalten and I woke to another day of rain, so after a bit of a lie in I went in search of some food to the local bakery to which I was now a regular.  I ordered some breakfast and decided to stay and read my book there for a few hours to pass the time and watch all the comings and goings.  There were still a lot of people braving the trails today in the wind and rain.  Not for me!!  I am definitely a fair weather hiker!  I stayed for a couple of hours and then made my way back to the hostel as the rain was easing and I wanted to sort my photos.  When I got there pulp fiction was playing on the tv, so I sat and watched the movie until the end.   The sun had reappeared, and the weather was looking good for a walk, so I grabbed my things and went for the hour trail to the viewpoint over the lake and town.  On the way down I stopped by the internet cafe to catch up on my emails as there was no wifi here, and had some shocking news when I logged on.  A very special person who I had known practically my whole life had passed away!  I needed to call home and speak to my friend!  We both broke down in tears and disbelief at the death of her uncle who was so fun, generous, loving and caring.  It put a lot of things in perspective for me and I knew I needed to clear some things up in my own life that were important, and get hold of my family ASAP as I had not spoken to them in a while.  I feel so bad for the pain my friend and her family are going through and it bought the death of my uncle who was about the same age all back and all the pain and heartache that goes with losing someone you care about.  I would not wish that on anybody.  It is always harder for those left behind as we hope the person deceased is now finally at peace…It is at times like this that you feel the need to be home or near the people you love and care about, and I can't be there for my friend as I should be….this is one of the many sacrifices you make to be away as this also means you are separated from all those you love and care about and are very much alone, or maybe in the company of strangers who sometimes become friends.  It is a strange existence with many pros and cons.

The next morning I boarded the bus for Bariloche.  It is a 2 day journey so tonight I will be staying at a small town called Perito Moreno, then heading on in the morning to Bariloche and arriving tomorrow night.  The bus is pretty cold and I wrap up and read my book most of the way, enjoying the views of ruta 40 which is the famous road stretching for miles from the south of Argentina in Patagonia to the North.  A few hours into the journey the bus breaks down and the mechanic, thank goodness, is on board, so after a while we are back on our way!!  I have the front seat so he ends up sitting next to me and tries to converse in Spanish.  I get my phrasebook out and we chat for a bit in broken language, and then he asks me to dinner and tells me how beautiful I am!!  So embarrassing!  Never know what to say so just say thanks and tell him I have a boyfriend in America.  The men are very open here, if they want something they just go for it!!  There is no beating around the bush!

As evening approaches we have some amazing views of a brilliant sunset against the mountains, it almost looks like the sky is on fire!!!  A perfect end to the day!

 

El Calafate, Patagonia, Argentina

My flight to El Calafate flew via Ushuaia, otherwise known as "The end of the world!!"  As I look from the plane window, all I can see are snow capped mountains, beautiful turquoise lakes and baron landscapes.  I take a few pictures when I can from the window.  Not really sure what I expected the end of the world to look like but it is quite surreal, and when the plane doors open, quite cold too!!  Most people get off here and one lady I was talking to at the airport was telling me how she is going to the Antarctic from here on a trip!  So amazing!!!  I can't believe I am near the Antarctic, I had no idea it was here, did not really think where it was, but expected it to be North for some reason!

The plane emptied and then filled up again with new passengers heading for El Calafate.  We took off and an hour later we were landing to another beautiful backdrop of more snow capped mountains, turquoise lakes, blue skies and sunshine!!  I got the shuttle to my hostel and 10 minutes later I was there at the top of a beautiful hill with a great view over the lake and mountains.  It was already about 3pm so I did not want to waste this gorgeous day and dropped my stuff at I Keu Ken Hostel where I was staying and headed straight down to the lake to watch the sunset.  Maybe I should have checked what time that was as I waited and waited and waited.  By 7pm I headed back to town for dinner and had some wonderful savoury crepes with a glass of vino tinto to wash it down.  Still the sun was shining so I made my way to the hostel to see if I could get some pictures from the hilltop instead.  It was now 8.30pm and the sun was finally setting, I managed to get there just in time for the last glimpse of daylight!

The next morning I dragged myself out of bed just as breakfast was finishing at 9.30am.  I then went back to bed as I was still tired and because I could!!  I got up about midday and went to the supermarket for some provisions as I decided to save some money and cook myself.  Well I was only here for 3 more nights and $20 later was not sure this was saving much, but was healthy, pasta and sauce with olives and cheese and ham.  The only problem is when there is just one of you , you end up eating the same thing for days!!!  Not sure it was a good idea and will probably eat out next time just for some variety at least, and always good to try the local food.  After my shopping spree I booked all my accommodation and buses for the next 2 weeks, as well as my trip to the glacier the next day, then just chilled out at the hostel for the rest of the day enjoying the views!

The big day was finally upon me, it was a cloudy start to the day as we set off at 8am for the Perito Moreno Glacier.  I had decided to take a tour, you could take the bus and do it yourself but it was only $10 more for the tour and they pick you up from the hostel as well as give you information on the glacier and surrounding area.  We also stopped off at a couple of places on the way for photographs which was nice.  We entered the National Park, paid another $20 and made our way to the main attraction.  We were all looking out from the bus in anticipation of the sight that was to befall us, and when it did we were not disappointed!!!  The first thing we saw were a few icebergs floating in the lake formed by the glacier melting.  Then soon enough there it was and it was stunning!  It was huge but it looked so small from where we were standing, considering it was 60 metres high at this end and 600-700 metres high at the back, the pictures I took just do not do it justice.  We needed to get closer, so we took a few snaps and got back on the bus to the boat for a closer view.

The boat tour was an hour long and took us close up to the glacier, or as close as it was safe to go as chunks of ice were falling off it all the time.  We cruised up and down the wall of the glacier for an hour and it was cold here, so an hour was plenty.  I took some interesting pictures using different effects on my camera, my new toy, and then we continued on our way, by bus, to the glacier.  Little did I know that this was only one side of the glacier, it was enormous!!!!  We went further to the north side and walked along the catwalks for a while taking in the different views and watching it carve into the lake as more icebergs were formed by the falling ice breaking off!  The sound was so loud, a cracking, crashing, rumbling as the ice splashed into the lake causing ripples on the otherwise still turquoise waters.

The top of the glacier was rough and jagged like the edge of a piece of splintered wood.  It was funny because although we were near to the glacier it was not that cold, which surprised me, the boat tour was, maybe because it was closer and on the water, but here on the edge of the lake formed by the glacier over the years, it was warm, t shirt weather when the sun finally came out for a few minutes.  I think we had perfect weather though as the glare from the sun can be blinding, and I think this shows the glacier in a much better light without that glare for the pictures.  Apparently you see much more of the blueness, which is caused by the ice when it is really compacted, it is not really blue.

I sat on one of the many benches and had my lunch while watching the glacier doing its thing and just admiring its great strength and beauty.  It is so awesome just to be here I can't even put it into words.  I never thought I would ever see anything like this in my life!!  I had no idea it was so accessible and from such a great place to visit, like Argentina.  I am so happy to have done this and made my way here on my own, I so nearly did not come and it would have been a huge loss!

At 2.30pm after a baileys coffee to warm me up, we all boarded the bus and headed back to the hostel to relax after a busy day.  I just rested up and got ready for my horse riding tour the next day.

Everyone is up early at this hostel and breakfast starts at 6.30am as most of the tours start early.  No chance of a lie in then.  I have breakfast and a hot shower and get geared up for my ride.  The weather is crap, it is raining, windy and cold.  I wish I had only booked the 2 hour ride not the 5 hour one, but another couple of people from the hostel were doing it too so there was the three of us, which would make it a bit more fun.  Louise was from Manchester and Cameron was from Perth in Australia.  Our pick up arrived at the hostel and we all jumped in and psyched ourselves up to brave the cold.  We arrived at this ranch style place, which they call "Gaucho," and we signed our lives away, filling in disclaimers, which were all in Spanish so God only nows what it said, then got saddled up and ready to leave.  As we waited for the horses to be saddled, the staff there were skinning a big hare that was hanging which the dog had just caught, and the worker gave me its tail for good luck and put it in my pocket!!!  Well, what could I say, I thanked him and kept it as a momentum and for luck, hoping it would keep me safe on my ride!!  I had not worn enough layers thinking I would be hot when riding, but should have known better.  The rain stopped as we headed out and after an hour or so we stopped for our picnic by the shores of the lake.  My horse was called "Gringo" which made us all laugh, he was stubborn as anything on the way out, and would not do anything I told him. However on the way back it was a different story.  Suddenly he found his mojo and could not get back fast enough.  We had fun cantering and galloping across the baron landscape, the dogs running with us, chasing foxes and hares along the way!  We were soaked and cold by the time we got back, and ready for a hot shower.  We shared some mate, which is a kind of tea they drink out here, with our guide and chatted to him for a while about life in Argentina and his family and work, and I asked him a lot of questions about the horses and how they break them in.  Everything is so simple out here and they don't see the need to complicate things.  It makes sense!  I talked to him about the Monty Roberts technique and he told me about his.  He has broken over 100 horses so he knows his stuff and all they teach them is left, right and stop!  That apparently is all they need to know here, and it works for the use they are required for.  When his tea was finished we left to go back and soak in a hot shower to try and get warm again!!!

I stayed in bed for the rest of the day, the weather was horrible and I could not be bothered to go back in the cold and wet to get dinner, so I just stayed in bed and read, blogged, chatted on Skype and packed ready to leave early the next morning!