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Published: March 25th 2008
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So me Soren and Kjell got up around 8am and grabbed showers and got our gear ready to go to Chelten and we filled up on brekkie and then checked out around 11am and we walked into town and kjell got some cash out and soren went to an internet cafe and i just chilled and then we headed to the bus station about 12noon and soren and kjell booked onward tickets to esqual.
Eventually the bus turned up and i had speaking to this irish guy and an english couple beforehand, the english couple were getting a two day bus to Buenos Aires im really glad i booked a flight up. The Irish guys was heading to Chelten and had been in our dorm, i sat next to the irish guy on the bus and we chatted a while and then we both fell asleep, the road went from tarmac to gravel and seems that Argentina charges the same prices as chile but they dont have the infrastructure to back it up, chile its nice smooth roads, i took a few piccys on the way and we stopped on the way at the Hotel La Leona for a toliet
break and if anyone wanted to get a drink or snack, i bought a snack bar.
The Hotel La Leona had some photos and writting framed on the walls a bout butch cassidy and the sundance kid staying there on the way to the Chile border after thay had robbed two banks in Rio Gallergos.
After that we headed on to Chelten and we got there about 4.40pm and stopped at the park rangers hut and the ranger gave us maps and a talk in english which was cool.
The are no atms or banks in Cheltan so fortunately i had enough cash on me and in the morning i had sold my sleeping bag as i no longer needed it and i got more than the bag and stuff sack had cost me.....result!
So the bus then stopped at the Rancho Grand hostel and it was booked so we went over the road and found another hostel it was 40 pesos a night and no breakfast😞....we took it and an aussie girl from the bus joined us in the dorm, it was like a converted old shed and had coffee sacks for curtains.
We
went out to get some food for dinner and soon realised at the supermarket that everything was double or more in Chelten and so i got cookies and small loaf of bread for 10 pesos for the next day and the other guys got so supplies for the next days hike. As it was so expensive we decided it would not be that much more to eat out as appose to getting food to cook up at the hostel.
We headed back and sat on the dorm deck and just chilled and i shared my wine out and we had some beer and we eventually after chatting anf putting the world to rights we walked over to an eatrie that was recommended to us, del bosque is its name and we each had a mozrella and garlic pizza.
We then headed back to drink a little more and then head to bed, we were sharing the dorm with a spanish couple and they decided to come back quite late and chat and make noise on the dorm deck which was not helpful to sleep.
Anyway kjell put his ear plugs in and i tried without and no
joy and so i got my earplugs out and they are wax ones, anyway my alarm was set for 7.30am and my sandwiches were made with strawberry jam that Kjell had let me have. So i woke up and part of one of my earpluugs had come lose and jammed in my ear so was deaf.....ughhhh....damn spaniards.
The idea was that i was booked on the 6pm bus back to Calafate and i planned to do the mount fitz roy trek 4 hours either way, so an 8 hour hike, at 7.40am i said my goodbyes to kjell and soren and i headed to the track and i started the trail at 7.50am, i decided id try to do it quickly and burn some calories off and so i went up quick and ran some parts and kept stopping to eat cookies and to drink water and take piccys and before i knew it i was at laguna capri and so i headed on and i topped up my water from a fresh mountain river, fresh water is lush.
Before i knew it i had got to laguna los tres and the view of fitz roy further down
had been better and at the top it had gone overcast but still worth the effort and i had my jam butties and saw all three lagunas and then it started to rain and so i started to head down, i spent mayve 30 mins at the top resting and refilled my bottle at the river again and headed down and as most of it was downhill it was easy going and i saw the time and though yup i could run down and get the 1pm bus get back to Calafate at 4.30pm instead of 10.30pm and i could check my email and check in online for my flights, shower get my stuff sorted and chill in the evening before my flight the next day.
So i ran down and managed to change my ticket and get my stuff just before the bus left and on the way down even stopped at the miardor for more pics and in total 4.55 mins up and down.......that must be some record.
Chelten is not so cheap but the fitz roy hike is worth it and the surroundings are awesome, so i got the bus back and it stopped at
Hotel La Leona and the bus heading to Chelten was there too and i bumped into a german guy there who i had met in Purteo Natales and Torres Del Paine, so small world again.
I got back to the Marco Polo Inn and checked in and i have a room near recption so not dat to go for check out and my shuttle bus tomorrow which is cool and i showered up and checked in for my flight and need to get dinner now. Ohhh i got the earplug out eventually although it may take a few days for my ear to heal....ouchhhh.
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