yoyotraveler

After San Martin de los Andes we crossed the border into Chile, stayed briefly in Valdivia and then headed south to the island of Chiloe. Valdivia is a nondescript town close to the Pacific coast. Its main claim to fame is the fact that it was close to the epicenter of the strongest earthquake ever recorded - the 9.5 magnitude 1960 earthquake which affected countries as far away as Japan and Australia. There are no traces of the earthquake today and the one that hit more recently in February was too far north to cause any damage. We stayed overnight to check out the river and its sights and rest before we caught a bus to Chiloe. There is a small, quiet fish market in the morning frequented by both humans and sea lions, the latter ... read more

We are in El Chalten now, which Simone's Lonely Planet claimed had no banks or internet, but that information, two years old now, is outdated. It's now one of the most touristed places I've ever visited. There are certainly more tourists than locals and the number of hostels and restaurants is astounding for such a small town. However, it's very well justified. El Chalten is nestled in the foothills of the mountains in a bowl shaped valley. Above the surrounding hills snow covered mountains peek into the valley. The most famous is Fitzroy, an intimidating peak that looks like a multi-faceted black crystal. The sheer cliffs that make up the mountain lead to a summit at over 3400m and most of the mountain is free of snow, its sides being too sheer for the snow to ... read more