2 weeks in Argentina

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Contents
1. End of El Salvador, Surfing in El Tunco
2. 2 weeks in Argentina
3. Bariloche Swiss Alps meets South America
4. El Chalten. Hiking Argentinia´s Patagonia.
5. El Calafate and Glacier Moreno
6. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire, and the end of the world).


1. End of El Salvador

So i spent the last 2 weeks in El Salvador back at El Tunco beach learning how to surf. It went pretty well and was a great place to spend some time. By the end of my time there I was able to get up on some unbroken waves, and more importantly have a blast.

2. 2 weeks in Argentina

But since March 10th, ive been in Argentina. But not just Argentina, Patagonia Argentina, which is the southern part of Argentina and famous for its mountains and hiking (thus the Patagonia line of outdoor clothing). Its absolutely beautiful, and Argentina was definitely the right decision for this trip. At first it was a little overwhelming: A new country, a new accent, new things to do. So i took a few days, bought a guide book, bargain shopped for warmer clothes, got tips from other travelers, and finally got a bus out of town heading south. But, i think there was no other way to do it then jump right in, deal with the chaos of starting completely blind, and getting it all done in a few days. And since then its been all up and up.

As a country, Argentina is completely different then every other Latin America i´ve seen. It is completely first world and feels very European. Even there Spanish accent is European (it sounds like Italian but with Spanish words). Consequently, with the accent, its much harder for me to communicate here. But im hoping with more time ill get accustomed to the accent and it wont be a problem. Other interesting notes, Argentinians travel themselves. At the hostels, id say its been about 2/3 international backpackers, 1/3 travelling argentinians. And that’s really what I was looking for, the opportunity to travel and use my Spanish. In addition everything is nice like Id expect in Europe (buses, restaurants, streets, parks, etc), except cheap like id expect in Latin America. A pretty great combo if anyones looking for that type of trip. Plus they speak Spanish, which is much more fun then any other European language…digo yo (says I).


3. Bariloche: Swiss Alps meets South America

I first started in Bariloche, a small beautiful cold mountain town. Think Swiss Alps or Belgium: lots of St. Bernards, artsy chocolate shops, snow capped mountains, dark beer, sparkling lakes, etc. It was really warm during the days, shorts and short sleeves, but cooled off fast at night. Unfortunately this is also where I jumped in trying to orient myself, so my first few days went more to that then seeing the sights. And then as soon as I was able, I hopped out of town. But, I did try some delicious chocolate and spent a lot of time walking about. This was probably the highlight as it had cobbled stone roads, was set on a hill next to a giant lake with mountains in the background. And everywhere I went had wood fires burning, hot chocolate, dark beers, etc. I also biked a 25 km (15 mi) loop around some gorgeous hills and glacier lakes, again w/the snow capped mtns backdrop.

From Bariloche I took a 33 hr bus ride down to the heart of patagonia, El Chalten. The 33 hour bus ride was surprisingly pleasant. It drove due South along Rt 40, a fabled road along argentina which follows the andes throughout the country. 80%!o(MISSING)f it was gravel, and after the first 5 hours, we passed only 3-4 towns before finally arriving in El Chalten. But it was incredible scenery and looking out the window was an adventure in and of itself.

4. El Chalten. Hiking Argentinia´s Patagonia.

El Chalten is famous for the Fitz Roy peaks, some of the most spectacular peaks in Argentina´s Patagonia. To do this right, I went on a 3 day hike with 2 British kids, Matt and Andy, I met on the bus. They were good ´blokes´ and im real glad I met them, as they made the next 2 weeks, and especially the hike, a lot more fun. We were all on the same page in terms of interests, traveling, and types of adventures we were looking for. All of the hiking was great, but the highlight for me was a 7 hour day hike up to highest peak 1 can reach without mountaineering (finding your own routes with ropes and climbing equipment). It was pretty steep the entire way up, and we didn’t start until 1pm on day 1, after hiking for 3 hours to base camp. But once we got about ½ way up we entered the glacier/snow region. And from there we were hiking along glacier pools and over snow, something ive never done before. And from the top we could see the Fitz Roy peak, 2 glaciers, and a whole lot of snow. Over the next 2 days we were surrounded by more stunning scenery. The pictures say more than words so check them out. But we had some good fun and it was nice doing it with new friends.

After coming out of the woods we went out to a Parilla (argentinian grill) for some serious meat and drinks. And while there discovered that the National Trekking Festival was being celebrated that weekend in El Chalten. Actually in the local gymnasium (El Chalten is younger than I am, est in 1985 with a population of about 500 ppl + tourists.) They festival was selling cheap drinks and had brought in live music from around the country. We watched a Stomp like band called Choque Urbano from Buenos Aires perform percussion acts for a few hours, before finally making it back to our first warm, comfortable beds in many days.

5. El Calafate and Glacier Moreno

Moving south further along Rt 40 we went to El Calafate, another tourist town in the heart of Patagonia. Its famous for the jumping point to Glacier Moreno, the largest glacier in South America. It dumps onto a lake, and you can get very close to it via boat or boardwalks. We did both. The highlight here was watching a giant tower of ice break off from the glacier and fall into the sea.

From there I was going to pop into chile for a famous 5 day hike, but after seeing the awe inspiring glacier, decided to follow Andy and Matt (the british blokes) down to Ushuaia, aka the end of the world, on Tierra del Fuego, for some more outrageous scenery.

6. Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego (Land of Fire, and the end of the world).

Ushuaia is an incredible city. Its recognition is far being the southern most city on the planet, and the jumping off point for all trips to Antarctica. It took a 15 hour bus to get here, which included 4 border crossings, passing through Chile, and a ferry ride. But it really is and feels like the end of the world. No joke, its worth googling Ushuaia to see where on the map it is (and me too). Its impressive.

What I like most about it though, is unlike everywhere else ive been in Patagonia, and despite being the end of the world, its not just a tourst town. This one actually exists on its own. (Although it is famous as a tourist destination, even jimmy buffet wrote a song about Tierra del Fuego: ‘Party at the End of the World´). It’s a huge port, and the island has special tax exemptions encouraging many international industries to put production factories here. There are special discounts on everything from electronics to cars, and many Argentineans migrate here for high wages paid in the factories. So its unusual being so far from everything else (literally). Even the history is richer then other parts of Patagonia. Jules Verne wrote a book about the lighthouse here (light house at the end of the world), Darwin passed through and wrote a lot here before moving onto Galapagos, and prior to the panama canal, the channels were used for all world vessels, especially gold and wool shipping.

So while here, we took a boat along the Beagle Canal (used to bypass Cape Horn and its dangerous tides and wind). On the boat we saw Sea Lions, a light house, various birds and learned about the indigenous culture that thrived up until 100 years ago. The very last 100% indigenous person is currently 84 yo and in good health. Its cold as hell here, really windy, and the water feels like it came strait from the glacier (which it did with Antarctica being only 700 miles away). An interesting fact, the indigenous did not wear any clothes, kept fires burning 24 hours/day (hence the name ´land of fire´), and dove into the water collecting mollusks using nothing more than sea lion grease. To put it in perspective, the water temperature is just above freezing and we were told the average person would die of hypothermia in 20 min.

I also did a long day hike in the national park. Upto a peak for some panaramoic views and along a coastal trail.Both were beautiful, see the pics. Overall, this place just feels different and like the end. And I guess that’s why we came. Its cold and windy, clouds come and go very fast, and everything meets in unusual way: Giant snow capped mountains, forests, and the sea. Its unreal, but worth the effort.

And from here I head into chile for some more over night hikes, maybe a boat ride, hitchhiking, who knows. I´m now back on my own, as my british friends flew up to Buenos Aires for warmer weather and the end of their trip. But im still very far south and got a ways to go before things get warmer. Until then, ill be bundled and layered.

paz

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Photos

Bariloche
rooftops and lakes

The Glacier Far
when we reached the glaciers

Snow Trekking
climbing up a snow field

El Calafate
with my fresh baked brick

Glacier Moreno: Boat
from the boat ride

Les Eclaireurs Lighthouse
in the Beagle Canal off the shores of Ushuaia, Tierra del Fuego

End of the World
this is it: clouds, wind, cold, water, chaos....at the end

Lost in the Woods
2 hours in

The Steep Slopes
of day hike 1

The Glacier Near
with a little bit of zoom

Filling Up
on some clean, clear, fresh, glacier water

The Peak (with andy)
at the peak, with a view of the glaciers

Snow Trekking: the descent
coming down the snow, at times a bit wobbly

The Lagoon
Day 2 hiking in the rain, we finally reached the lagoon

Breakfast in Bags
with cold mornings

Comments

[dad]

new address
Neal: I am enjoying the blog. Keep the pics comging. Also, new phones and another e-mail address. Dad