Humulu

So from the mountains to the tropics.... palm trees, mosquitoes, heat, and HUGE waterfalls!!!! After another 18 hours overnight bus ride we (Gabriela, the Spanish teacher from BA and I) arrived in Puerto Iguazu on the Argentinian side. And since we arrived early in the morning, after we checked into our hostel, (Marco Polo Hostel, highly recommend it) we figured we use the day to first visit the cataratas (waterfalls) on the Brazilian side. The Brazilian side is a lot smaller then the Argentinian, yet nevertheless just as stunning. The panoramic views are breathtaking and although these falls are a lot different compared to Victoria Falls in Africa, I do think that they compare in their ability to make one awestruck at the power of the water and the spectacular natural setting! The sub-tropical climate creates ... read more

Ok, after those two days on the bus, I arrived in the beautiful mountain town by the lake, Bariloche! If you picture Switzerland, a little bit of Heide, a little bit of Austria and then all that maybe even a tad better... that is Bariloche! Not bad, eh? So the first day here, Dagmar, another German from Hamburg who I had met on the bus and I took a local bus a little outside of town and then rented mountain bikes to bike the extremely scenic Circuito Chico inside the National Park Nahuel Huapi. We had once again only sun and a cool breeze and took our time, stopping and going for little walks, taking lots of pictures and enjoying the great down hill rides after pedaling our butts off on the long uphills! . When ... read more

Hola, so this will be a series of blogs hopefully today, to catch you all up a bit on my travels. I traveled to El Chalten from El Calafate, and since it is in the mountains... no cell phone towers, no ATM, gravel roads, and unstable internet because of the satellite transmission, you will just have to bear with me now and i will take you through the last couple of days! EL Chalten is the cutest little hikers paradise town. It is located in the Parque Nacional Los Glaciares, and all hikes start somewhere in the town! Once again, I was super lucky with my hostel. (even got a huge fluffy bath-towel), and when i arrived in the late afternoon just went for a little hike to a great overlook of the town and the ... read more

Hola a todos, today I visited the amazing Perito Merino Glacier in Parque Nacional Los Glaciers Now I was impressed with the Glaciers in New Zealand and Norway, but nothing really comes close to the Glaciers here in Patagonia! WOW! The fact that Perito Moreno alone covers an area of 257 sqkm, is 30 KM long, 55 m high and 4-5 km wide and is not the biggest in the Patagonian Icefield is amazing! I know that you will enjoy the pictures, but now imagine the sounds of ice breaking off the glacier and falling into the lake! Since the Glacier moves about 2 m in a day, building size icebergs fall off and float in the lake, and the noise is just amazing! And although most glaciers in the world are currently receding, Perito Moreno ... read more

This morning it was certainly time to hike again, and so I joined up with two of my "dorm- mates" Christoph from France and Marco from Spain, and the three of us tackled the remaining hikes in the National Park! After about 20 + km, I am thoroughly tired right now, but it was once again a phenomenal day, with lots of sunshine, incredible views and wildlife along the way! So i am writing this blog as I am enjoying my Quilmes (beer brand) and some chips in the sun room off the hostel! Once again, there is really not much to say, other than that Patagonia so far is everything I hoped it to be, and the fact that the weather is cooperating like it has is just such an extra bonus! So here are ... read more