Argentinian Patagonia

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After our week of hiking in Chile we actually volunteered ourselves for more!

Hiking is one of those things that sometimes seems crazy but let me tell you in Patagonia the views are so good that the bad stuff just disapears.

A fairly drawn out trip from Puerto Natales to El Calafate ensued after a days rest. The border crossing was a little convoluted and the Argentinian post was freezing! They did have an amusing guard sheep tethered to the front gate though! Nothing gets past him I tell you. He lulls you into a false sense of security with friendly small talk and then pounces.

Anyways El Calafate was really quite touristy. A bit like Queenstown NZ for those that have been there. Our accommodation was good though as we got our own room in a cheap but new and well run hostel. We also managed to find some nice local (and much cheaper) food and avoided the tourist restaurants that charge like a wounded bull. Speaking of bulls by coincidence we met an Aussie couple on the bus into town from Wagga over on a study tour for sheep farming practices. They were nice and very Oz which was nice to hear after so many North Americans and Europeans.

We went to see Perito Moreno Glacier on the Sunday which was awesome. That thing is just huge! It is fed by 4 smaller (by smaller I mean the size of the Hunter River at Newcastle) glaciers that are sliding down the hill from Hielo Sur (the southern ice cap). Moreno is claimed to be one of the only glaciers still growing in size but it turns out while it is still growing up the top, the volume of ice melting is still larger. In cold years it does jam up against the island and cause carnage.

While we were there huge chunks (the thing is 60m tall) of ice came cracking and crashing down making huge noises and causing carnage in the lake below. Unfortunately, while on a boat trip closer we missed the biggest ice fall while getting a cup of tea! It was below 0 degrees with the wind chill out there and tea is an essential survival tool alright!

That night the hostel put on nice bbq (asador) night where we got our second helping of Argentinian meat. The night before was lamb but tonight I was given something like half a cow (I think I tasted hoof somewhere). In their defense the salads and veges were nice also (no really I ate some). We met some nice english folks at dinner and had a good laugh. They were in their early twenties and we felt a bit like codgers in some ways. That is what happens when you hang round with bloody gen xers in their late 20s / early 30s for six weeks!

The next day we went horse riding with some Gaucho fellas. It was blowing a gale and freezing but hey we were kind of used to that now so we were prepared. The Gauchos were cool and the ride fun though I would have liked to go for more of a run but these trail horses are stubborn buggers! They had about ten dogs running round hunting hares for them earning their keep. I suggested to Dan that perhaps Rosie needs to lift her game and maybe we should kick her out on the streets to bring back game but she kicked me. As I fell in a blubbering heap I heard something about ´my baby´and faded into unconciousness.

The Gaucho guide had actually been in our Qantas commercial (the I still call Australia home one) which we will have to verify. He gave us some Mate tea which is ok but not great. He was telling me that it began as a way for Gauchos to digest all the meat they eat because they eat almost no fruit and vegetables! Apparently mate increases the digestion hugely.

That afternoon we bought some more supplies for hiking as the next morning we were off to El Chalten and the mighty Mount Fitzroy.....

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Photos

Perito Moreno Glacier
The glacier is impressive, but what is it with me and bad hats. It was gift from my Titicaca family.

Perito Moreno Glacier
At 60m tall this thing was huge.

Perito Moreno Glacier
That is a huge bit of ice (about the size of a house) cracking of the glacier into the lake

Horse riding with the Gauchos
We had a great time horse riding despite the wind and cold. Great views of Calafate.

Horses that only follow the trail
Our horses were so stubborn they would shake and neigh when they didn´t like the command and keep on doin what they were doin.

Gaucho with hare
The dogs caught the hare and pinned it down until the gaucho could retrieve it.